Tōji Kanzaki stands tall with short brown hair, dark brown eyes, and an ever-present toothpick, his relaxed demeanor belying a sharp focus. A knee brace encases his left leg, a remnant of his cycling days that followed him from high school flashbacks to his current role as a mentor. Once a competitive sprinter, this injury steered him from racing to guiding others, channeling his expertise into leadership. As Sohoku High’s bicycle racing captain in his third year, he forged a legacy of emotional grit and self-reliance. He reshaped Jin Tadokoro’s trajectory, urging the self-doubt-riddled cyclist to embrace sprinting. “Limits exist only where you draw them,” he insisted, pushing Jin to persevere through failures until victories emerged—a philosophy that unlocked Jin’s potential. Post-graduation, Tōji transformed his family’s Kanzaki Cycle Shop into a hub for Sohoku’s gear and a catalyst for futures. There, a young Shunsuke Imaizumi discovered a blue Scolt bike, its test ride sparking a lifelong passion. Shunsuke’s subsequent triumph and bond with Tōji’s sister, Miki, traced back to that pivotal encounter. Tōji’s support remains unwavering: lending vans for races, delivering urgent bike repairs, and dispensing calm, experience-hardened advice. Though retired from competition, his impact endures through protégés who embody his creed—that adversity, confronted head-on, forges unshakeable resolve and reshapes how one sees the world.